BHP commits $17 million to University of WA to create dedicated engineering zone

The funding will be aimed at increasing the number of skilled resources workers. (file)

ABC News

The University of Western Australia is set to receive a $17 million funding boost from resources company BHP Billiton.

The commitment was announced at the university's business school this morning with the Faculty of Engineering, Computing and Mathematics to receive $12 million over 10 years.

The majority will be spent on a world-class engineering zone, with a modern environment of open classrooms and features such as conference rooms.

UWA Chancellor Michael Chaney says most of the spend will be on infrastructure.

"There'll be a couple of million up front to enable us to carry out our new feasibility study and plan for the new buildings and then $10 million dollars which will be spent on the buildings, and also on some scholarships and professorships," he said.

He says the facility is much needed.

"The engineering buildings here at UWA are among the oldest on the campus and they're really not really fit for purpose anymore," he said.

Scholarships to target female engineers

Under the deal, the UWA Business School will also receive $5 million over five years to increase the number of scholarships, fellowships and visiting professors.

It includes 20 new scholarship places for female engineers, allowing them to an opportunity to study business degrees and business units.

BHP Billiton's president iron ore, Jimmy Wilson, says it is a deliberate strategy to try and get more women into the industry.

"The scholarships that we're providing...we're trying to bias towards females to try and address this gender imbalance that we see."

Jimmy Wilson

"Pragmatically, if we look at it, Western Australia is behind the eight-ball," he said.

"Within our own organisation, the scholarships that we're providing to universities in general, we're trying to bias towards females to try and address this gender imbalance that we see."

The university and BHP have been in partnership for several decades, with previous contributions totalling about $25 million.

Funding to address skills shortage

The latest investment comes amid calls for government, the resources industry and education providers to avoid a skills shortage by working more closely to train workers.

Mr Chaney says BHP's donation to UWA is a good example of that.

"Australia really faces a shortage of numerate graduates, engineers and scientists and so on," he said.

"It's critical that we have those because our whole future depends on developing resources in a sustainable way and providing income to the country to fund all sorts of things.

"We need people who are educated in maths, physics and chemistry and so on to move onto engineering and sciences."